Friday, September 23, 2011

Fear of the Lord #4

"In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." Proverbs 14:26-27

When we are walking in the fear of the Lord, we can have confidence that God is on our side. Notice Romans 8:31, "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" The person who is walking in the fear of the Lord and is living by the Book will have fewer feelings of insecurity, abandonment and fear. There will be far fewer times when salvation is doubted. The fear of the Lord produces a strong sense of security and close fellowship with the Father. Fearing the Lord calms the anxieties of the heart. Solomon goes on to say when a man fears the Lord it has an effect on his children. Every father wants to keep his children safe; Solomon says that our children will have a place of refuge under God’s wings when evil.

In Psalm 128 we see that fearing the Lord has a further affect on my wife and my children. The wife of a man who fears the Lord is seen as a fruitful vine in the very heart of his house. His children are like olive plants, full vim, vigor and vitality; real productivity for the Lord.
When we walk in the fear of the Lord, we are stronger spiritually than we could be otherwise. The fear of the Lord is like a fountain that continually springs up with spiritual vitality and strength. This enables the Christian to walk cleaner and closer thus avoiding the temptations and traps of the devil. Proverbs 16:6 reminds us that by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil.” Evil is all around us today, in the check out isle at the supermarket, and even on the bill board as we drive down the road. Where do we find strength to turn away from evil? Where do we find the strength not to let this world squeeze us into its mold? Only as we fear the Lord, which means to seek to live in the constant reality that He is present and I desire to please Him and bring joy to His heart as I walk in close fellowship with Him. If any thing crops up in my life that might interrupt that fellowship, I want to confess it immediately, that is want is meant by walking in the fear of the LORD. Walking in the fear of the Lord is the way to be a blessing to the Lord and to others in my life, my family, friends and co-workers.